Last Modified: Saturday, July 12, 2014 at 3:29 p.m.

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What started as shop owner Barbara Hughes’ three children drawing on the sidewalk in front of her store has now become a tradition for many families in Henderson County, with many of its older competitors first entering as children.

Rachel Benney, 25, a Hendersonville native, said she’s been drawing since she could first hold a crayon in her hand and has been competing since day one.

“It is something that I do every year basically,” Benney said. “It’s a fun event that lets people come out and have fun on the sidewalks and do something creative.”

Benney said she first started when she was asked by Hughes’ son, who was her classmate, to come out the first year it began.

“We ended up starting and I think through the whole of it we’ve only missed one or two,” Benney said.

Her mother, also an artist, came out with her to chalk it up downtown and Benny said she’s been a big influence on her love for the arts.

Her science fiction-themed design was of Red, a character in the video game Transistor.

“I try not to do pictures of movies and events that have happened recently, so that it kind of stands on its own, and since I couldn’t really do fairytale stuff or dragons that I usually do, I decided to try a video game. This one is based on electronics and digital stuff so it fit a different theme for necessities,” Benney said. “Also, she’s a cool charter to draw.”

Further down the street, Steve and Cassy Mirich brought their five children, all under the age of 5, out for their first big family outing after moving to Hendersonville just last month.

Their twins, Isaac and Deacon, competed against each other, but the father said they love competition, so it was a fun family affair.

“We used to be tourists here every year, so now we’re locals,” Cassy Mirich said. “We always missed it every year. We’d see advertisements and always said we wanted to be a part of it but we always came late – a week after, a week before—so when we saw it we said we’re doing it this year now that we live here.”

Hughes said she’s always felt strongly about keeping the event free for participants, so that all families could compete and continue coming back each year to have something to share together. Even at the suggested rate of $5 per person, Hughes still said she’s sticking to her guns.

“I just know I couldn’t have whipped out $15 for my kids when I was younger,” Hughes said. “I just couldn’t have done it, so I think that’s part of its innocence and charm. They can still do something that’s kind of unplugged, be on the ground, go back to the old days.”

For the first time Hughes was able to award a cash prize of $125 to the Professional Best of Show winner Yoriko Russell and $15 to each of the five winners from each age group, thanks to a donation from the Advocates for the Arts.

For more information on Chalk It Up and other events at Narnia Studios, visit www.narniastudios.com.

<p>With thousands of pieces of chalk lining the sidewalk, 150 artists both young and old filled Main Street on Saturday for the 18th annual Chalk It Up led by Narnia Studios.</p><p>What started as shop owner Barbara Hughes' three children drawing on the sidewalk in front of her store has now become a tradition for many families in Henderson County, with many of its older competitors first entering as children. </p><p>Rachel Benney, 25, a Hendersonville native, said she's been drawing since she could first hold a crayon in her hand and has been competing since day one. </p><p>“It is something that I do every year basically,” Benney said. “It's a fun event that lets people come out and have fun on the sidewalks and do something creative.”</p><p>Benney said she first started when she was asked by Hughes' son, who was her classmate, to come out the first year it began.</p><p>“We ended up starting and I think through the whole of it we've only missed one or two,” Benney said. </p><p>Her mother, also an artist, came out with her to chalk it up downtown and Benny said she's been a big influence on her love for the arts.</p><p>Her science fiction-themed design was of Red, a character in the video game Transistor.</p><p>“I try not to do pictures of movies and events that have happened recently, so that it kind of stands on its own, and since I couldn't really do fairytale stuff or dragons that I usually do, I decided to try a video game. This one is based on electronics and digital stuff so it fit a different theme for necessities,” Benney said. “Also, she's a cool charter to draw.”</p><p>Further down the street, Steve and Cassy Mirich brought their five children, all under the age of 5, out for their first big family outing after moving to Hendersonville just last month. </p><p>Their twins, Isaac and Deacon, competed against each other, but the father said they love competition, so it was a fun family affair. </p><p>“We used to be tourists here every year, so now we're locals,” Cassy Mirich said. “We always missed it every year. We'd see advertisements and always said we wanted to be a part of it but we always came late – a week after, a week before—so when we saw it we said we're doing it this year now that we live here.”</p><p>Hughes said she's always felt strongly about keeping the event free for participants, so that all families could compete and continue coming back each year to have something to share together. Even at the suggested rate of $5 per person, Hughes still said she's sticking to her guns.</p><p>“I just know I couldn't have whipped out $15 for my kids when I was younger,” Hughes said. “I just couldn't have done it, so I think that's part of its innocence and charm. They can still do something that's kind of unplugged, be on the ground, go back to the old days.”</p><p>For the first time Hughes was able to award a cash prize of $125 to the Professional Best of Show winner Yoriko Russell and $15 to each of the five winners from each age group, thanks to a donation from the Advocates for the Arts. </p><p>For more information on Chalk It Up and other events at Narnia Studios, visit www.narniastudios.com. </p><p>Reach Bindewald at 694-7890 or renee.bindewald@blueirdgenow.com. </p><p> </p><p>Winners</p><p>5 and under</p><p>Eva Morrissete</p><p>Dylan Bowen</p><p>Grant Palmer</p><p>Annie Gage</p><p>Kenzie Davis</p><p>6-8 Years old</p><p>Kathleen Ryan</p><p>Mia Schiro</p><p>Temperance Cantrell</p><p>Judah Morrissette</p><p>Kaylynn Hartzog</p><p>9-12 Years Old</p><p>Abigail Malmin</p><p>Kayla Hirsbrunner</p><p>Aidan Hackett</p><p>Gavin Harper</p><p>Isaac Gilmore</p><p>13-20 Years old</p><p>Lizzie Tuttle</p><p>Rachel Malmin</p><p>Rachel Ursin</p><p>Greta Gessler</p><p>Alice Bloesma</p><p>21 and over</p><p>Roxanna Vess</p><p>Lawrence Davis</p><p>Pam Gessler</p><p>Miriam Hughes</p><p>Rachel Benney</p><p>Professional Best Of Show</p><p>Yoriko Russell</p>